


So long, I've been looking too hard, I've been waiting so long...

by YourSunset



Category: RWBY
Genre: F/F, Kissing, Love Confessions, Mutual Pining, POV Weiss Schnee, Spoilers: Volume 7 (RWBY), Takes place during Volume 7
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2021-01-25
Updated: 2021-01-25
Packaged: 2021-03-18 03:46:49
Rating: Teen And Up Audiences
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 1
Words: 7,684
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/28985823
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/YourSunset/pseuds/YourSunset
Summary: “Weiss?” Ruby’s voice came in an airy whisper, meant only for her, and her alone… “May I kiss you?”One look in dazzling pools of excitedly anxious mercury and Weiss could tell that there was so much more that Ruby wanted than just that… And Weiss wanted nothing less herself. Her response came with the subtlest dip of her chin, and from her throat, she was able to muster some semblance of her voice in the most meager of shy whispers.“…Yes, Ruby.”
Relationships: Ruby Rose/Weiss Schnee
Comments: 4
Kudos: 71





	So long, I've been looking too hard, I've been waiting so long...

**Author's Note:**

> Hey everyone! I promise I'm not dead, and I'm back with another romance oneshot because I can't help it.
> 
> Writer's block has been a bitch, and it's been hard to write recently for some of my other stories, but I've been getting progress done! Thankfully, the next chapters for my stories are coming along. I'll have them out very soon, and I can't wait to share them with everyone!
> 
> This fic takes place during Volume 7, so there are slight spoilers for those who haven't watched it yet.
> 
> Yes, I'm starved for Whiterose moments in Volume 8, and who knows if we'll get any this time around, either.
> 
> As always, apologies for any formatting errors and the like! Please enjoy!

“Goodness, what a workout… You’ve definitely gotten quicker, Weiss.”

Blake commented with a smile as she sheathed her weapon and wiped her brow. Weiss, all the while, returned Myrtenaster to her side before flashing a smile back at her best friend.

“And you’ve become even better at using your Semblance in your attacks. I could hardly tell which one was the real you after a while.” Weiss wiped her brow with the back of her hand, the heat of their intense training session now becoming more apparent as she fanned herself in a bid to bring herself some much needed cool air.

It was just a couple of weeks ago that she had become a Huntress alongside her team, both officially licensed and in the eyes of the world. But even with their newly obtained title, Weiss knew that there was no time to sit idly by and revel in their successes. The world still moved on, and she knew that both herself and Team RWBY needed to be at the top of their game. After all, who knew when another enemy would show up at their doorstep?

For that reason, Weiss suggested that the team took turns training with one another, rotating between partners to help maximize all that they could learn from one another in combat, be it about themselves physically, mentally, or emotionally… And it seemed like that suggestion bore quite the bounty, especially for Weiss, as there was much she learned over the last few weeks about herself, in more ways than one.

 _“Ruby…”_ A smile spread across pale cheeks as she watched her partner spar against her older sister Yang in hand-to-hand combat with one another. Played across Ruby’s features were a smile, both confidence, and excitement each doing their part in creating what had become to Weiss an all too familiar, welcoming sight that had always caused her heart to skip a beat…

Weiss wasn’t quite sure what to call it anymore. A hobby? A passing interest, perhaps? She was _certainly_ loath to call it an addiction… But she just wasn’t able to take her eyes off of Ruby Rose. There was just something about her that so unequivocally stole her attention from everything around her.

When was it that she started to notice her partner more? When was it that her heart began to see her as more than just a teammate and a friend? Was it when they finally reunited in Mistral after being torn apart during the aftermath of the Fall of Beacon? Or was it during their journey to Atlas, when she had fought against Cordovin and had saved Ruby’s life not once, but twice, a time where her heart nearly gave out in both fear and grief?

Or maybe it was something about her aesthetics? Was it the reckless yet confident style that her hair had taken during their make-over upon reaching and settling down in Atlas? Maybe it was the ways she had matured, not just in the physical sense, but in the mental and emotional sense as well, even _if_ her maturity was through less than ideal circumstances… Perhaps it was the confidence she exuded with said newly found maturity?

The sister’s shared sparring session came to a brief halt, Yang took a long sip of water from her water bottle while Ruby herself wiped her brow with a red towel when she looked over to Weiss. Catching her in the act of staring, Ruby’s smile remained on her features as she delivered a wink, causing her heart to flutter at the sight.

Whatever it was that caused her attention to constantly draw itself to Ruby, Weiss knew that there was no questioning what it meant…

“Caught you staring again.” Blake gave her a gentle nudge, pulling her out of her thoughts and bringing Weiss to snap her head towards her direction with widened eyes and her mouth slightly ajar. However she must’ve looked surely was an entertaining sight, if her feline friend’s gentle giggle was anything for her to go by.

“Here.” She held out a light blue towel, “A damp towel. It’s nothing like a nice cold shower, but it’s enough to at least wash away some of the sweat before we return to our rooms to bathe and rest.”

“Ah…” Clearing her throat, Weiss took the towel with a lopsided grin. “Th-Thank you, Blake, I appreciate it… And I wasn’t staring, I was-”

“Simply admiring her growth, right?” Blake finished her sentence nonchalantly with a line heard one too many times, earning a roll of the eyes from Weiss as she wiped her forehead. “Hiding your feelings from others is one thing, Weiss, but you aren’t going to get anywhere if you don’t at least accept them yourself…”

“It’s not that I haven’t accepted them, it’s just…” Weiss blew a stray strand of hair away from her face, frustration evident on her features. “I doubt the feeling is mutual, so what’s the point of putting myself out there if I’ll end up hurt in the end, or making things awkward between us? It’s best that I just ignore these feelings and hope they’ll pass on.”

“I’m not sure that those feelings are completely one-sided… Besides, it’s unhealthy to ignore what your heart is telling you, Weiss. Don’t be afraid of letting it feel what it wants to feel.” Blake placed a hand onto her shoulder, “You should listen to it, take heed in what it’s trying to tell you… Take it from me.” She squeezed her shoulder affectionately before giving it a gentle tap and walking ahead. “I’m going to head back and take a shower, I _hate_ being drenched in sweat… Remember what I said, Weiss, and take care.”

“Ah… Thank you, Blake. You take care, as well.” Nodding to Blake as she left, Weiss grabbed onto the fabric of her dress at the chest and began to air herself out, letting out a long, exasperated sigh as she did so. “I should take a shower and get out of these clothes myself, this is disgusting.”

Turning to look back to her teammates, Weiss noticed that Ruby was looking in her direction towards her, and yet, not directly at her as she visibly swallowed hard before biting her lip.

 _“Ruby?…”_ Curious, Weiss followed Ruby’s gaze down a trail that led to her chest, where her dress was pulled forward in her attempts to air her body out, revealing her cleavage and just a bit more for those who were looking directly at her to take in the sight without inhibition…

 _“Is she…”_ No way, that couldn’t possibly be it… Her gaze returned to Ruby who was now blushing, silver eyes widening as they met with Weiss’s pale blues.

“Hey, Rubes! Eyes forward, we’re going again!” Yang called out to her sister with a smirk. A look of embarrassment played across Ruby’s features, and not a second sooner did her head snap back forward and away from Weiss, who in turn shifted her body away, covered her chest, and quickly left the room…

_“Oh, my Jinn, she **was** staring!”_

Ruby Rose, the girl who had once found Blake’s secret stash of erotica novels and branded such as filth, was doing something as indecent as staring at a woman’s chest, and _hers_ no less?!

If there was one thing Weiss could say, it was that Ruby doing such was the _last_ thing she ever expected of her partner, and as much as she didn’t want to admit it… There was a part of her that felt _incredibly_ prideful and, dare she say, excited about it…

“No, no, no!” Weiss audibly scolded herself as she made her way down the winding hallway and towards her room within the Atlesian Barracks they were staying at for their training. _“I’m just flustered, that’s all. So much has been happening, my mind and emotions are all over the place… Nothing a nice, hot shower can’t help wash away, I’m sure.”_

And that’s just what Weiss did. Reaching her room, she quickly locked the door behind herself, shed her clothes from her body, and draped them across the back of a chair in the corner of the room before ambling her way into the bathroom.

She freed her hair from the large, braided ponytail she had it tied into with a sigh. Beautiful tresses of snow-white cascaded down her back, dressing her lithe form in near platinum beauty as she stepped into the shower and turned the knobs until she found the sweet spot for the temperature of the hot spray coming from above.

Yes, a hot shower, that’s what would soothe her heart and help lull the tempest that was her thoughts to a calm… So why, then, did her mind still jump from thought to thought? From things such as how she felt about Ruby, to the way she looked at her just a short time ago…

 _“That look in her eyes when she stared at me, I’ve never seen her look at something so intently before…”_ Weiss placed a hand against the pristine, white-tiled wall of the shower as the hot spray ran along her back, washing the soap she lathered on her body away. _“And the way she bit her lip, too…”_

Her other hand danced along soaked, alabaster pale skin, trailing from her inner thigh and towards her chest as she looked down at her nude, lithe form. She knew her body itself was nothing to gawk at, especially when compared to her teammates, _especially_ Yang. While her body was prim, proper, and well taken care of, it was definitely _… Lacking_ , in some areas.

 _“And yet, Ruby still…”_ Weiss leaned her head back into the waterfall, allowing the warm liquid to rush through her hair as she closed her eyes. Loathe as she was to admit it, Weiss _did_ feel some sort of pride and joy that the woman whom she deeply cared for had the desire to look at her, and in such a way, too, even if she wasn’t aware of the feelings Weiss had towards her… It caused her heart to race.

 _“No, Weiss, don’t do this to yourself.”_ Turning the knobs for the shower until the spray came to a stop, Weiss stepped out of the stall and wiped the foggy mirror with one hand. She wasn’t sure if it was the fact that her heart was racing, or that she was just standing under a hot shower, but her otherwise pale features were colored by a tinge of red that would hint to anyone who saw her that there was something more at play.

 _“Don’t overthink things… Don’t put yourself in the position to get hurt.”_ Against her better judgment, however, Weiss couldn’t stop her mind from returning to the brief moment shared between Ruby and herself… Oh, how desperately she wanted for there to be more than what was, if not to satisfy that which craves her the most…

 _“It’ll never happen.”_ She chided herself inwardly, taking an elongated breath that turned into something between a frustrated and forlorn sigh as she began to dry her hair with a large white towel. _“And, perhaps, that’s for the best. I don’t want to drive a wrench between Ruby and me because of something like this… It would be best for the both of us if I just forget this completely.”_

And yet, not even that compromise could stop the knife that drove through her heart when she considered the idea of dismissing the feelings she had for her partner and leader. _“We’ve been through so much together, fought against adversary after adversary… I wouldn’t be the person I am now, had it not been for her, and for me to just toss aside my feelings for her without a second thought…”_

The thought of casting her feelings for Ruby to the side… It tore Weiss up in ways she had never felt before, ways that she would feel uncomfortable mentioning to anyone that wasn’t someone as close to her as her teammates. The feeling of wet warmth slipping down her cheek brought her hand to rise, pale fingertips gently grazing her cheek as she turned to look at her reflection in the foggy mirror.

_“Goodness, look at me…”_ A sad chuckle escaped Weiss as she wiped from her cheeks a few tears that had managed to escape past her defenses… _“So this is what it feels like to have a conflicting, hurting heart, huh…”_ Was this the price she had to pay for ignoring what her heart had pined so long for? Perhaps Blake was right, Weiss thought, that ignoring her heart’s desires for such a long while would end up hurting her more than helping in the long run…

Nevertheless, she knew it wouldn’t do her any good to stand there and dwell on what was, what could and what couldn’t be. The fatigue of the day had made itself more apparent throughout her shower, and at the moment Weiss wanted nothing more than the embrace of sleep. If nothing else but to bring to her body some rest, and her heart and mind some much-needed solace.

Wrapping her towel around her body, Weiss gave herself a quick look in the mirror before nodding at her reflection, turning on her heel, and making her way out of the bathroom… When a surprise greeted her that she most certainly was _not_ expecting.

“R-Ruby?!” Sitting on the bed with her head bowed downwards and eyes fixated on the floor below was none other than the woman who had been running laps in her mind for nearly the past hour, her hair visibly damp while donning a black and red bathrobe and slippers to match. Upon Weiss’s exclamation, Ruby’s head snapped upwards, her eyes immediately linking with Weiss’s own as she covered her chest instinctively. “What are you doing here?”

“O-Oh… Hey, Weiss.” Her gaze shifted somewhere off to the side, “This is _our_ room. We each share a room, remember? You and I have this room, and Blake and Yang have the one across the way.”

_“Oh, that’s right…”_ Weiss shook her head. In her momentary shock, that fact seemed to have eluded her completely. “S-Sorry, you just surprised me is all. I didn’t expect you back so soon, I thought you’d still be training with Yang. You know it takes her ages until she’s too tired to keep going…”

“Ah, yeah, she decided to call it early, said she had a long day…” Ruby’s response came in a quiet voice as her gaze remained fixed away from Weiss and onto something else, and although she wasn’t looking directly at her, Weiss could still see an all too familiar look in her eyes… Something was bothering her.

“Did you take your shower elsewhere? Your hair is damp…” Weiss made her way across the room with her back facing Ruby, turning the light for the room on before discarding the towel she wore and placing it on the bed. She grabbed her baby-blue bathrobe, slipped it over herself, and tied it shut before turning to face Ruby.

“Oh, uh… Yeah, I took my shower in Yang and Blake’s room. They’re right across the hall, and since you were busy in the shower I opted to use theirs…”

“Ah… Sorry for taking so long, washing my hair takes a while as you know.” Smoothing her robe out, Weiss took a seat on her bed beside Ruby, who was still looking away from her, and was that a frown she saw? “Ruby, what’s the matter?“

“Eh?” She looked back at Weiss for the briefest of moments before turning away once more. “Oh, it’s nothing, I just wanted to, uh… Talk to you about something…”

“Something?” Weiss tilted her head, “Well… What is it that you want to t-“

“Weiss, I’m sorry!” Ruby turned her head to look at Weiss, she shifted her body until she was facing her before bowing forward in apology. “I’m sorry about looking at you like that and staring before, I-I didn’t mean to make you feel uncomfortable or awkward or anything like that, it’s just that when I turned around I saw you were cooling yourself off and I ended up accidentally looking at _that_ and then I just couldn’t-“

“Woah, Woah!” Weiss exclaimed, placing both hands on Ruby’s shoulders while pushing her up to face her. “Slow down, Ruby, you’re going too quick, I can’t understand a word you’re saying… Say all of that again, but slowly.” A quiet whimper left Ruby as she looked away once again.

“I’m sorry for staring at you like that earlier… When I saw the way you looked at me after and how you ran away, I felt _really_ bad, like I did something wrong, or betrayed you or something…” She scratched her cheek with her index finger, eyes bouncing back and forth like a ping pong ball as her pale cheeks turned a rosy shade that did her surname proudly. “It’s just that, you’re really, _really_ pretty and whenever I see you I sort of…” Ruby waved her hands around in the air as if to emphasize what she was trying to say. “I dunno! Lose focus or something like that. I’m not good with words…”

…Did she just hear that right? Did Ruby just say that she thinks she’s pretty? Now, that wasn’t the first time she’d heard that line that from someone, as much as Weiss hated to admit that, and she was certain it wouldn’t be the last… Still, for her to hear it from Ruby, someone whom her heart desired in more ways than one… Well, to say it caused her heart to flutter would be an understatement.

“I… I see.” Weiss cleared her throat as she tried to combat the heat rushing to her cheeks, “It’s fine, Ruby, you don’t have to apologize… I was just surprised was all, and a bit flustered as well…” This time, it was Weiss’s turn to look away as a tiny smile played across her features. “But… Do you truly think that? That I’m pretty?”

“Of course I do!” Ruby exclaimed, leaning forward and closing the distance between her and Weiss, causing the latter to lean back slightly for the sake of personal space. “Your hair is always so silky and smooth, your skin is always well taken care of and soft, you have really pretty eyes, and, and… It’s not just the outside…”

Ruby backed away, cupping her hands on her lap as her thumbs twiddled around. “It’s the inside, too… You’re nice and sweet to people and you always want what’s best for them, and you give everything your one hundred percent, no matter what… It makes me happy to know that someone like that is my partner, it really does…”

 _“Ruby…”_ Well, that was certainly a lot to unpack, and while Ruby’s candor nature was one to be expected, Weiss still didn’t know where to begin. The compliments about her looks, Ruby singing her praises about how she is as a person… Everything she had said had caused Weiss’s heart to flutter, and the appreciation was enough to cause it to swell and nearly burst out of her chest in joyous affection.

“Y’know…” Ruby started, the corners of her lips both pulling into a small smile. “I envy you, Weiss.”

“Envy?” Weiss echoed, tilting her head in curiosity.

“Mhm. You’re so pretty, strong in lots of ways and you’re super smart. Me on the other hand? I’m average at best, and the only thing that’s strong about me are my eyes and ability to run wild while swinging Crescent Rose around…” Her eyes met Weiss’s once more, “I admire you, a lot Weiss… So much that I don’t know what to do about it... So, I confided in Yang, and y’know what she said?”

Ruby’s gaze turned back forward and up towards the ceiling, that sad look in her eyes from before now gone and instead replaced with that familiar glimmer that Weiss had found herself wading in more often than not. “She said that maybe I started to have romantic feelings for you!”

At that, Weiss’s heart skipped a beat, her eyes widened ever so slightly, and her breath was caught in her throat. _“W-What? Romantic…”_

“Crazy, right?” Ruby kicked her feet back and forth, tilting her head as she continued. “At first, I thought that she was crazy, that maybe I was just going through some weird patch… But as time passed, I realized more and more that I just… Couldn’t get you out of my mind.

Ruby cupped her hands together on her lap, where her gaze had fallen to. “When we all trained together, I wouldn’t be able to take my eyes off of you as you worked your hardest, and in battle, you were the one thing always on my mind, even if the mission took precedence. After a while, I realized that there was just no denying how I felt, and over time I had come to the realization that…”

Finally, Ruby looked back to Weiss, her smile still spread across her cheeks. “…That I think I’m falling in love with you, Weiss.”

…It’s a dream. Yes, that must be it. Weiss believed that she must’ve fallen asleep at some point and has been in a blissful dream the entire day, and sometime soon she was going to wake up to the sound of an alarm blaring, taking her away from this incredible moment…

But the feeling of her heart pounding against her chest, the excitement nearly causing her to shiver and the adoration bringing her heart to swell and nearly burst… Those intense feelings told her of the complete opposite, that she was indeed awake, and that everything happening before her was _very_ real.

 _“Oh, my Jinn...”_ Was the only thought that was capable of forming within her mind as the words Ruby just spoke repeated themselves in her head… She’s _falling in love with her!?_ There was just no way, she never expected something like this to happen, and out of the blue no less?!

Realizing that she had been completely silent and simply staring at Ruby, she returned to reality and looked back into her eyes, a heat far stronger than anything she had felt in her life rushing to her cheeks as pale blues waded in mercurial pools overflowing with… Fear?

“Ah, that is…” Ruby started, her cheeks flushed as her eyes darted away. “I just… Wanted to let you know, that’s all. I spoke to Yang about this, and even Blake too, and they both said that I should just… Be honest with myself and tell you.” She stood up from the bed.

“I thought about it for a long time, and… I don’t want to live in a life of what-ifs. Life is too short, it can end any time, y’know? That’s something I… Kinda learned with Mom, so… I didn’t want to think about what could have been, had I not told you how I really felt, even if the feeling isn’t mutual and this love is unrequited.”

“R-Ruby, I…” To say that Weiss was shocked would be the understatement of the century. Was this the same person she met three years ago on their first day at Beacon, the same girl who was reckless enough to ride a Nevermore as a method of transportation, or always oversleep and nearly cause them to be late to _every_ class?

There was so much Weiss wanted to say, so much that she wanted to pour out to Ruby like she poured out to her… But she couldn’t get her footing, nor could she find the right words to begin. All she could do was sit stock still as Ruby continued.

“A-Anyway…” Ruby looked behind to Weiss with a small, hollow smile as her eyes glistened with tears. “That’s what I wanted to talk to you about. I’m sorry for saying something so weird and out of left field!… And… I’m sorry if this makes things awkward between us, Weiss. If it does, just forget about everything I said.” She looked back forward, wiping her cheek with the back of her hand. “I think dinner is going to be done soon, so I’m going to see if I can help with anything!”

Without waiting for a response, Ruby quickly made way for the door, leaving Weiss sitting on the bed in shock, hardly saying a word in response… After everything she said, after pouring her heart out and admitting her feelings, she was going to leave in tears without getting even so much as a response… She was going to leave...

“Ruby, wait!” Weiss called out, standing up from the bed and grabbing onto the sleeve of Ruby’s robe before she could make it any further.

_“It’s unhealthy to ignore what your heart is telling you, Weiss. Don’t be afraid of letting it feel what it wants to feel.”_

Blake’s words of advice and encouragement echoed through her mind as her desires moved her to action… There would never be a moment like this again, and Weiss would be _damned_ if she were to let it pass.

“Don’t go, please…” She begged in a small voice, gently pulling on Ruby’s sleeve in a bid to bring her back to herself, a successful move, as Ruby turned on her heel with her head tilted as she followed Weiss back to the bed. Once the two took their seats once more, Weiss’s eyes looked left to right, to and fro at the various pieces of furniture that made up their room as she searched her mind for the right things to say.

“I-I just…” She stammered, trying to grab the reigns on her thoughts to steer them in the right direction. “Everything you said means the world to me, and my heart, it’s…” Weiss’s body moved on equal parts instinct and desire, she placed a hand gently against Ruby’s and brought it to her chest, right over where her heart was beating so rapidly. “It’s r-racing… It’s so warm, I’m shaking and I-I don’t know what to do… I’m nervous, anxious, scared, excited, overjoyed and I… I’ve never felt this before…” She looked back to Ruby, the inner corners of her brows drawn upwards. “W-what do I do?”

It seemed as if it were Weiss’s turn to ramble, her body trembled from the plethora of emotions she was wading through as she finally allowed her heart to feel exactly what it wanted, allowing it to do whatever it pleased and say aloud whatever it had to, if only for the moment. She looked deeply into calm silvers as the corner of Ruby’s lips pulled into a small smile.

“Just say what’s on your mind, Weiss, it’s okay… I won’t judge you, and no matter what, it won’t change how I feel for you.”

Ruby reassured, and while it was sound and easy enough advice for her to follow, Weiss still found it hard to heed. How many times had her heart been wounded by those who cared about her the most in her family?… Could she tear down those defenses she had erected to protect her heart so suddenly, even if it meant risking herself being hurt once more?

 _“No, Ruby isn’t like that.”_ Weiss argued with herself, _“She would never hurt me like that… Just say how you feel, Weiss.”_ Fighting against her innermost fears, Weiss closed her eyes, took in a deep breath, and exhaled before opening her eyes once more to look at Ruby; and with the smallest of smiles and an anxious heart, she said:

“I think I’m falling in- Oh, who am I kidding, I _am_ in love with you… I love you, Ruby.”

And so, the words were spoken, set free to linger in the air, to set the mood for whatever it chose to be and for it to do whatever it desired with their fates now… Ruby’s grin had lowered until her mouth was now ajar, once calm eyes now widened in sheer surprise as the two fell into complete silence.

“Y-You… What?” Ruby inquired, visibly in shock after hearing what Weiss had proclaimed.

“You heard me, you dolt…” Weiss looked away with a frown, her voice growing smaller as she continued. “I said I love you…”

“…Again.” Ruby requested, closing the distance between her and Weiss as she leaned forward on both hands with a smile.

“Again?”

“Say it again!” Ruby chirped in a near whisper, her eyes crinkling with an infectious smile that brought Weiss’s lips to curve into a smile of its own as she looked away demurely.

“I… I love you, Ruby…” Weiss relinquished, earning herself a joyful squeal from her partner as she pounced her, wrapping her arms around her as the two fell back onto the bed.

“R-Ruby?“ Weiss called out, her heart skipping a beat as Ruby cuddled into the crook of her neck.

“I love you, too, Weiss…” She whispered gently in her ear as she held onto her tightly. Although her anxieties of opening her heart were still there, Ruby’s embrace acted as the bulwark to fend off those fears, and her reassurance that things would be okay was the vanguard of that defense.

 _“So this is what it’s like to be in the embrace of someone you care for deeply…”_ With a smile, Weiss melted into Ruby’s touch, wrapping her arms around hers as she allowed her defenses to crumble under her protective presence and weight. They remained there, Ruby atop of her as they waded in the moment of their shared confessions and joy.

“Hey, Weiss…” Ruby called out, breaking the momentary silence. “How long have you felt this way? Y’know, about me…”

“How long?” Weiss’s eyes closed as she rummaged through her memories to figure out exactly _when_ she started feeling the way… As much as she mulled over her entire relationship with Ruby alongside if and how to confess her feelings to her, she never took the time to figure out exactly when it was she started to feel this way…

“I’m honestly not sure…” Weiss sighed, “Over time I just started to notice you more and more, how you grew as a person and a leader, and next thing I knew, I wasn’t able to get you out of my mind, nor was I able to keep my eyes off of you.”

Weiss let free a breathy chuckle as she shook her head before continuing. “When we fought against Cordovin in Argus and you almost died, twice might I add, my heart nearly gave out both times. I’ve never been as scared in life as I was during those moments, and I think that’s when I realized just how much I cared about you, needed you in my life… I’ve even incorporated some ruby colored accents into my clothes. In Atlesian culture, it’s common to put something on your person to reflect that which you care for or adore, and, well...”

Both girls looked to the side, where Weiss’s outfit sat cleanly atop the back of the chair in the room. “As you can tell, there’s definitely some ruby red on there… It wasn’t much, but it was enough for me to at least express how I felt about the woman whom I’ve grown to adore. So you can imagine that for me, hearing you say such things now…”

Weiss’s arms tightened around Ruby just a bit more, her lips curved into a smile as her throat grew slightly taut. “It makes me really, _really_ happy… So happy, that I don’t know what to say or do. I just want to stay here, with you, and hope that this isn’t some vivid dream that I’ll wake up from... I don’t think my heart could take that.”

A rumble of laughter escaped Ruby until finally, she sat up ever so slightly to look down at Weiss, who’s eyes were glazed over with the onset of tears…

“Weiss?” Ruby’s voice came in an airy whisper, meant only for her, and her alone… “May I kiss you?”

One look in dazzling pools of excitedly anxious mercury and Weiss could tell that there was so much more that Ruby wanted than just that… And Weiss wanted nothing less herself. Her response came with the subtlest dip of her chin, and from her throat, she was able to muster some semblance of her voice in the most meager of shy whispers.

“…Yes, Ruby.”

Ruby’s brows furrowed, though the lopsided smile spread across her cheeks told that there was no malice, worry, or anger behind the gesture. “Was that a yes? I just… ‘Wanna be sure.”

This time, it was Weiss’s turn to be on the defensive, pale blues shifting away from Ruby’s silver own as her usually confident disposition was taken over by a demure nature that was foreign to her. Even if it was embarrassing to say again, Weiss was over the moon that Ruby made sure she had her consent to kiss her, especially in the heat of the moment.

Nodding again, this time more obviously, Weiss kept her gaze shifted off to the side as she managed to scrounge up her voice once more. “Mhm…” Was all she could offer in a secondary round of consent… But it seemed for Ruby that it was enough, as not a second too sooner, she cupped Weiss’s cheek with a gentle touch and brought her to look forward, right at her as their half-lidded gazes locked once more.

With a smile, Ruby closed the distance between the two of them until they each took each other’s breath in, lips ghosting over one another as they each gave themselves but a moment to prepare for what was about to be their very first kiss, shared amongst themselves, no less…

And without any further delay, Ruby took it upon herself to finally close the distance between the both of them, their eyes slowly drifting shut as she captured Weiss’s lips for her own with a gentle kiss... And what a first kiss it was. The warmth of Ruby’s lips connecting with hers, the tenderness of her hand as she caressed her cheek, and the safety she felt being in Ruby’s arms…

Everything was perfect, and even though she was equal parts anxious and excited to experience that first kiss, Ruby’s presence and tenderness helped wash away that anxiety and instead replace it with an affection that she hadn’t known before. It helped bring a yearning inside of Weiss to an immediate calm, a longing to have Ruby in one of the most affectionate ways…

However, all good things must come to an end, and their first kiss was no exception. With a gentle smooch, the two of them broke the chaste kiss, gazes locking with one another as they appeared behind fluttering eyelids.

“Wow…” Weiss whispered in a near breathless manner. Her heart pounded against her chest as excitement caused her blood to rush, and she was certain she was blushing like mad.

“Tell me about it… Your lips are really soft, Weiss! And cute, too.” Ruby chirped with a smile.

“W-What?” She stammered, eyes widened and her brows knitted together before looking away with a pout. “Don’t say something like that so brazenly, you dolt…”

In true Ruby fashion, she couldn’t help but giggle at the reaction she got. “So, uh… Was that your first kiss, too?” She asked, tilting her head with a lopsided grin.

“Mhm. My first kiss, shared with you, no less…”

Ruby hummed delightedly at that, both girls enjoying the brief, silent bliss that befell them before the corner of Ruby’s lips pulled into a playful smirk. “So, still think you’re dreaming?”

Weiss couldn’t help but roll her eyes at that with a smile, earning her another giggle from Ruby as she rested her forehead against Weiss’s, both wading in each other’s gazes.

“Guess that was one of the many firsts we got to share…” Ruby started, her gaze drifting off somewhere to the side demurely. “If, y’know, you’d allow me to be your girlfriend… If that’s okay with you and all. I-if it’s not then it’s okay, I get it, being with me would probably be really hard to deal with and annoy-“

Ruby’s sentence was cut short by a lithe, pale finger pressing itself against her lips. “Rambling again, Ruby…” Weiss’s smile remained as Ruby’s cheeks turn to a familiar pout, she took her finger away from her lips and wrapped one arm around the small of her back while the other cupped her cheek, just as Ruby previously did hers.

“I would want nothing more, Ruby, than to have you as my partner… Both in battle and my life.”

“R-Really?” Ruby, visibly and audibly dumbfounded, couldn’t help but let that 1000-watt grin she always had spread across her cheeks as she brushed her nose against Weiss’s with a gleeful giggle. “Yay! That makes me really happy, Weiss.” She chirped in a hushed whisper.

“Even happier than a jar full of chocolate chip cookies?” Weiss inquired with a smirk and a cocked brow. Ruby’s eyes drifted upwards in thought for a brief moment before returning to hers once more.

“Why not have both?” Ruby challenged with a playful glint in her eyes, a glint that always brought Weiss to roll her eyes, though with no malicious intent or meaning behind it.

“Fair enough, I suppose… Ruby?”

“Hm?” Ruby tilted her head, her wide grin lowering to a serene smile.

“…Kiss me again?”

It was a simple request on the surface, but there was so much more beneath. Weiss wanted, no, _needed_ more, more of that contact, more of that affectionate warmth… More of that which she had craved for so long. And from the looks of it, Ruby was no different, as, without a second wasted, she took Weiss’s lips for her own once more, closing the distance between the two of them immediately.

Just like the first kiss, although chaste, it was just as passionate and lit the same flame within Weiss that drove her to desire more of Ruby… And it seemed like she wasn’t the only one, as, after a few seconds of shared kisses, Weiss felt a hand suddenly brush against the bare skin of her belly.

 _“R-Ruby?”_ A sudden, airy muffled moan escaped Weiss as Ruby continued to caress her stomach, fingertips grazing over her tenderly as her nails traced gentle lines of passion along alabaster pale skin. Each inch of her skin Ruby touched sent near electric waves through her senses, and the way she gingerly traced along her form caused a shiver to run down her spine as she broke the kiss momentarily.

Pale blues waded in loving mercurial, and although no words were said between them, the looks they each shared said enough for the both of them… Weiss wanted more, and Ruby desired nothing else but to continue. Was this moving too fast, Weiss wondered? After all, they had just agreed to be a couple…

 _“No.”_ Weiss snubbed the thought immediately, _“We’ve been through so much together, known each other for so long… This isn’t like one of those damn suitors father tried to put me with… This is Ruby Rose, a woman I’ve been through hell and back with… My partner.”_ She knew she could trust Ruby, and that she would never do something that would hurt her, or worse… She placed her hand atop of Ruby’s, and with a nod, she spoke in a gentle voice.

“…It’s okay, Ruby.”

With Weiss’s approval, Ruby’s eyes widened just a touch as she licked her lips before biting her lower one, a move mimicked from earlier that showed that there was much more going on in her mind than just a simple kiss, a racy thought that caused something within Weiss herself to stir…

Without another word shared, Ruby stole her lips once more, this time more passionately as her hand skimmed its way up her body. Slightly calloused fingers traced along the side of her body, inching closer and closer to a spot that not even Weiss herself had explored much as Ruby’s touch skirted the line between chaste and intimate…

 _“More…_ ” Weiss begged inwardly, unable to fight those pressing urges as she began to snake her hand beneath Ruby’s robe, eliciting from her a gasp that melted into a quiet, muffled moan as she shuddered from her touch. Manicured nails traced across the small of her back as her other hand cupped Ruby’s cheek. Her thumb skimmed gently over it as the two lost themselves in each other’s passion, both girls teetering at the precipice between chaste kisses and passionate lovemaking…

“Weiss? Ruby~?”

From outside their room door, the voice of one Blake Belladonna suddenly called out alongside a few knocks. Both girls’ eyes snapped wide open, their hands froze in place and their intimate moment came to a grinding halt as they looked towards the door for a second before looking at one another.

“Y-Yes, Blake? What is it?” Weiss called out, trying her best to sound as if she wasn’t completely out of breath.

“Dinner is done, so we’re all going to gather in the hall to eat together! Come down when you’re ready!”

“Oh, okay!” Ruby called out, sounding more natural and unfazed by what had just happened between the both of them. “Thanks, Blake!” After a few seconds of waiting in silence to be sure that Blake had left, both girls let out a shared sigh, with Ruby breaking the small tension in the air. “Sorry about that, Weiss… Y’know, getting touchy-feely and all…”

“It’s okay, Ruby… If I wasn’t alright with it, I wouldn’t have let you, you know that…” Weiss assured Ruby with a shake of her head as she caressed her cheek gently with her thumb. “ Besides, I liked it, it… Felt nice.” She stole a quick peck on the lips before continuing. “Let’s take things a bit slowly, though, okay?” She tilted her head, “I’d like to enjoy every bit of our relationship, including the build-up to things like that.”

To that, Ruby’s lips curved into her signature grin. “Mhm! I’d like that, too.” She responded, sitting up and giving Weiss some personal space back, not that Weiss was bothered by her presence, of course. Ruby offered a hand to help Weiss up, which she took with a smile as she joined her partner at her side. “Guess we should get in some actual clothes so we can head down and be with everyone else, huh?”

“Seems like it. We don’t want them to wait for us, the food will get cold.” Sharing a nod, the two made their way to their respective wardrobes. Weiss filed through various articles of clothing, ranging from t-shirts to pajamas and socks, all provided by the Atlesian military for their convenience.

After finally managing to piece together an outfit, she quickly disrobed and put each piece on. Giving herself a quick look in the mirror on the wall, she made sure her clothes were tidy and smoothed out before making her way for the door, where Ruby was already dressed and waiting, albeit with her outfit unkempt.

“Ruby, your outfit is all disheveled… Come here.” Without waiting for a response, Weiss quickly smoothed out her outfit and made sure she was at least _somewhat_ presentable. “Honestly, what would you do without me…”

Suddenly, an arm wrapped around the small of her back as Ruby pulled her in, placing her thumb gently under her chin to angle her head upwards to face her, making their height difference incredibly apparent.

“Well, I certainly wouldn’t be here if it weren’t for you, Weiss… So, thank you… For everything.” Following that affectionate statement was a loving kiss that lingered for a while longer than Weiss expected, though that was hardly on her mind at the moment. All that mattered was the kiss they shared, fleeting as it was, for, after a couple of seconds, it came to an end, Weiss staring back with a half-lidded gaze while Ruby herself offered her 1000-watt grin as she broke the embrace and stepped back a few paces.

“C’mon, Snowflake! Everyone is waiting, race you there!” Without waiting for her response, Ruby opened the door and left the room, leaving a dazed Weiss behind as she slowly came to from the kiss with a shake of her head.

“Wait for me, Ruby!” She called out with a smile, grabbing her scroll from the bed and quickly making her way out of the room, but not before locking the door behind herself. Down the hall, she could see Ruby running backward, smiling, and waving at her while delivering a wink.

 _“Honestly, that girl… If I were anyone else, she would have driven me crazy by now.”_ Weiss stuck her tongue out as she employed the use of her Semblance, creating a series of Glyphs across the floor for her to skate along as she reached her partner now turned lover. They both shared a smile as they made their way down the vacant hall, before Weiss suddenly stuck her tongue out once more with a playful wink, skating forward and leaving Ruby behind.

“Hey! No fair!” Ruby whined from behind, earning a laugh from Weiss as she slowed down for her lover to catch up to her…

Yes, Ruby may be loud, and sometimes, she may be brash and make rash decisions… Perhaps she’s clumsy with her words and her step, and she could stand to use a more refined vocabulary. And yes, perhaps her diet could use work, and her habit of sleeping in could sometimes be a hindrance... But all of those qualities and more made up the woman that which Weiss had fallen so unashamedly in love with, and she didn’t mind one bit.

_“After all, that’s just who Ruby is and how she is… And I wouldn’t have her any other way.”_

**Author's Note:**

> Thank you for reading all the way to the end, I hope you enjoyed it!
> 
> I'm hoping that writing something outside of my usual stories and taking that slight break from them will help get the creative juices flowing again. For this story, I opened up a new document and just... Let my mind write a story freeform, and all things considered, I'm glad about how it came out, considering it was a spur of the moment story!
> 
> Like I said before, my other stories haven't been forgotten, and they'll be getting new chapters very soon. I apologize for the wait, and I thank you so much for bearing with me.
> 
> As always, please be well and take care of yourselves and each other! See you soon!
> 
> PS: Knowing me, I'll probably end up making more one-shots and much shorter chapter stories in the future because knowing me, I won't be able to help myself or stop the plot bunnies from multiplying. I apologize in advance!


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